I'd be surprised if the chapes were historical. They seem very late twentieth/early twenty first century haha. The leatherwork looks great, though especially at that price point. I wonder how functional they are. I dont want any scratches or blade damage. The chape looks like it would be ready to replace.

Whoever made the scabbard has some great leather-working talent, sadly, wasted talent.

Or just needing a gentle nudge in the right direction?

They wouldn't be the first craftsperson - let alone scabbard-maker - who has had to do some learning, as well as alter their product to be more what a certain portion of their market would want to buy ...Chief Librarian/Curator, Isaac Leibowitz Librarmoury

Is anyone offering historically accurate scabbards at under $200 shipped? These scabbards are clearly targeted at a budget buyer. For anything, historical accuracy starts at a higher price point. Not everyone is willing to pay top dollar to get every small detail right- especially details that don't affect functionality. To many sword buyers, the difference between $200 and $700 for a scabbard is significant.

I think most people would rather spend money collecting more swords than have every sword "scabbarded" in a work of art. I think more scabbards in this price range (if you look at his site, his basic scabbard is around $100) will let certain people (me included) scabbard swords that previously would have just been kept in a box or on a display stand.

My worry is if this scabbard will work as a scabbard: will it scratch my blade? how snug or loose will the fit be given that I'm only sending the blade's dimensions, etc. At under $200, I think the details are more than good enough.

That being said, I'm sure things like mouth to belt distance can be easily fixed with some feedback! I might contact the guy and point him here.

I'm in, for 150 I'll take a leather chappe, I mostly need something the keep my live blades from getting dinged in the trunk, and if I can wear it too, that's a bonus.

I kid of like the idea of that chappe too, if it brushes a wall it's less likely to scrape, and it would be quieter."We do not rise to the level of our expectations. We fall to the level of our training" Archilochus, Greek Soldier, Poet, c. 650 BC

I know this guy personally. He is a very good leatherworker with over 15 years of experience. I have a wallet made by him. He was approached some time ago by Peter Regenyei (some of you might know his work, he makes training swords) to make a few scabbards. I think these scabbards on etsy are the result of those initial attempts.
He only uses vegetable tanned leathers from England and Itally and I think his work is definitelly worth it. The wooden cores are made by someone else so I can't comment on that.
He doesn't claim to be a scabbard maker, his expertise is traditional hungarian styles and shapes but he always seems to be up for learning new skills. He does custom work, so I'm sure problems with his scabbards could be worked out.

He doesn't claim to be a scabbard maker, his expertise is traditional hungarian styles and shapes but he always seems to be up for learning new skills. He does custom work, so I'm sure problems with his scabbards could be worked out.

I'm in too.
Quite a value and it appears he is open to suggestions.
Perhaps this is a shot across the bow of some the higher priced makers. Nonetheless, it appears he's on to something.

JonA poorly maintained weapon is likely to belong to an unsafe and careless fighter.

They look pretty good for the price. But I think if you just want something functional to protect the blade, you probably don't need to spend half of that. Not sure if they still offer it, but Kult of Athena used to sell plain leather sheaths (no wooden core).
And you can make a wooden core for about $10-$20 in materials + a couple of days of sweat equity. It may not be pretty, but it will do the job of protecting the blade. And if you wanted, you could do the leather covering later.

IMO, If you are all thumbs with wood and/or leather though, $150 isn't a bad price for something functionally beneficial for protecting your investment and better than a plain wooden core.
-Terry

Question from a clueless newbie - What is wrong with this scabbard design? I don't care about the chape. What is wrong with the belt position. Where should it be and why? Going to get my first sword soon and I might be making my own scabbard or maybe even buying this one or something like it. It would be nice to know where the parts should all be to be functional. I am not that concerned about historical accuracy. I just want it to work. Thanks.

To my eyes, the leather belt looks unnecessarily thick. Like he/she used a 10-13 oz. weight leather instead of a 5 to 8 oz.
And most belts mount forward starting just about an inch below the throat, because...that's all they need to sit at your hip. If you mount the belt lower (as is the case with the first scabbard pictured, which appears to be about 2.5-3" below the throat), then it either shifts the handle further up your trunk (closer to the armpit) and that creates for an awkward draw. Or you sling the belt much lower to compensate for the raised grip, putting the belt lower on your hips/butt; which can then lead to it falling down like a loose pair of pants.

2 or 3" may not be a big deal though. But then I'm reminded that a breastplate that is 2" too long for the wearer can be unbearably uncomfortable. Anyhow, it just looks odd with that style of belt harness mounted that low.

It's NOT unusual to see a 15th century style of belt harness mounted that low, but then the back belt is positioned that much further away so it tends to maintain the sword more horizontal than the style shown on the Etsy page.

But personally, I think it's a very nice looking scabbard and harness (except for the chape).
-Terry

Question from a clueless newbie - What is wrong with this scabbard design? I don't care about the chape. What is wrong with the belt position. Where should it be and why? Going to get my first sword soon and I might be making my own scabbard or maybe even buying this one or something like it. It would be nice to know where the parts should all be to be functional. I am not that concerned about historical accuracy. I just want it to work. Thanks.

It's mostly a matter of minor details. It "looks" right to the un-tutored eye, which is because it's being made by one

I imagine that it is a perfectly functional scabbard. It simply suffers when examined by people knowledgeable about the little things. As a starting point, it would be perfectly fine and better than most factory scabbards by far. As a proper "historically correct" scabbard it fails in a few areas, but honestly, it's not *that* bad for what appears to be good work by someone who isn't familiar with the necessary correct details. Perhaps he used leather chapes simply because he didn't have any metal ones available and the customer he made them for originally didn't care. Something like that.

He and many other eastern European people tend to have most of their customers coming from a re-enactment background and thus less focused on being painstakingly historically accurate, but rather functional and "authentic looking", and I don't mean authentic to people who frequent myArmoury, but Jane and John Doe coming to a medieval/renaissance fair for probably the first time on their life.

In such a context a leather scabbard without a wooden core has the advantage that it does not break, especially when the sword is drawn (for example for a (semi-) choreographed fight). Having had one such breakage I will avoid putting blades that I carry on a fair into wood core scabbards again.

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